


Xander Back Story.

by OTPGirl



Category: Black Friday - Team StarKid
Genre: Experimentation, Government Experimentation, WIP, i guess, read chapter 1 - Freeform, torture?
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-16
Updated: 2020-09-16
Packaged: 2021-03-07 02:13:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,666
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26489227
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OTPGirl/pseuds/OTPGirl
Summary: If Xander has Black and White powers, why didn't he use them on the Black Friday from hell? Well, there is an answer to that question, but it's not pretty.
Comments: 3
Kudos: 12





	1. Author Note

First things first, this fic is not finished. In fact, this fic might not get finished, but it might. But I have worked on this for months and decided that I wanted to share it rather than let it sit in Google Docs for the rest of all time. 

One day I remembered that it was teased that Xander might have some Black and White powers, but it never got brought up in the show. So I wondered why that could be. This story was born from that idea. 

I do hope you enjoy it. And who knows, maybe this fic will be finished one day, but I don't want to make and promises that I can't keep.


	2. The Story

Alexander Lee always knew that he was different. 

Well, not always. He really started to notice that something was… wrong with him around the time he turned thirteen. 

When he was young, he had an imaginary friend, Webby, a spider that came from outer space. However, instead of fading away as he got older, like most kids imaginary friends tend to, she became more vivid. She talked to Xander, told him all sorts of things. 

It started off small, as troubling things tend to. She would tell him things were going to happen moments before they did, and she always seemed to know when someone was lying. 

But then things started to get more noticeable, one second, there would be nothing in his hand, and then the next there would be something there. And just as often as things would appear, they would disappear. 

Xander quickly caught on that this was most certainly not normal. He was terrified, not only of himself and what these… powers could do, but of someone finding out about him. He didn’t want to be taken away from his life and experimented on. So he tried his hardest to hide them from everyone, even his parents. He ignored Webby when he was in public and asked, practically begged her for information when he was home. Still, she wouldn’t tell him anything he wanted to know, only apologizing. 

But everything was going great. Really, it was. 

Until the day he graduated high school. 

Xander was just finishing getting dressed for the graduation ceremony. He had double-checked that he had his cap and gown and was in the process of tying his tie when there was a knock at the front door. 

“Can you get that baby?” His mother called from the bathroom.

“Sure!” He made his way to the front of the house and pulled open the door. He was greeted to the sight of two men in suits standing on his porch. “Can I help you, gentlemen?”

“Are you Alexander Lee?” The one on the left asked, and Xander could feel his stomach start twisting in knots. 

“Yes.” It was a struggle for him to keep his voice even as he speaks, even if it’s just one word. The two men glanced at each other before turning their attention back to Xander.

“We need you to come with us.” The other one said and Xander took a step back without even realizing it. The two men certainly did, and the one who had spoken first rested his hand on a gun that Xander was just noticing he had in a shoulder holster.

“Don’t make this harder than it needs to be son.” The threat evident in his voice and Xander swallowed heavily. He took a deep, shaky breath and stepped out onto the porch with the men, pulling the door to his house shut behind him. 

“Smart choice.” Xander wasn’t sure which one says that, and frankly, he didn’t care. His heart was beating so fast that he’s half-convinced that it’s going to explode. Webby was frustratingly silent at the moment. Why hadn’t she warned him about this? Wasn’t she supposed to be on his side? 

“Please. I have no clue what this is about.” That was a lie, he knew exactly what this is about, but playing dumb was his last attempt at getting out of this. The men seem not to believe him, they each grabbed one of his arms and half led half drug him to a black van that was parked on the street. 

They pulled the van’s door open and shoved him inside. Xander caught himself on his hands and knees before his face was able to hit the metal floor. The two men climbed in behind him, and Xander turned his head as he heard the door being pulled shut, catching his last glimpse of the outside world for a very long time, not that he knew it at that moment.

The moment the door was shut, the van took off down the road. Xander stayed where he is on the ground for a moment. His brain was trying to process everything that had happened. He felt tears welling up in his eyes, but he refused to let them fall in front of these men. 

He was so caught up in his own head he didn’t notice one of the men grabbing a syringe filled with a clear liquid until it was too late. He felt the prick as the needle pierced the skin and felt the cold liquid run through his veins. 

Xander’s vision started to blur, and the van felt like it was spinning. His arms gave out at his face slammed into the floor. He groaned and tried to push himself back up, but his body wasn’t listening to him at the moment. Darkness beckoned to him, but Xander fought as hard as he could against it. Eventually, it became too hard to resist. He finally gave in, becoming unaware of the events going on around him. 

* * *

When Xander opened his eyes next, he had no clue how much time has passed, but he was no longer in the van. 

He was in a white room with bright, almost blinding lights shining down on him from the ceiling. He had been placed on a cot that was on the floor, pushed off to the far back corner of the room. Attached to the wall opposite of him, there was a metal toilet and a matching metal sink. On the far side of the room, there was the outline of a door, but no handle. 

Xander looked down at himself and saw that he was in different clothes then he had been wearing before he was sedated, and that made his stomach turn. He was no longer in his dress pants, button-up and tie. He was now in white cotton pants and a matching long sleeve shirt. His shoes and socks were gone and he was barefoot.

There must have been a camera or something hidden in the room because he had barely been awake for a full minute when the door on the wall opened. A tall lady who was made taller by a pair of black heels stepped into the room, and an intimidating man followed her in. The woman appeared to be in her mid to late thirties. She had blond hair tied up in a tight bun on her head, was wearing a red button-up with a black blazer over top, and a black pencil skirt down past her knees. The man seemed to be only five or so years older than Xander was. He was dressed in a plain black tee-shirt with dark cargo pants and black combat boots and was holding a clipboard in his hand that he handed over to the woman when she held her hand out. 

“Test subject number seven, formerly known as Alexander Lee. 18-year-old male, brought in late yesterday evening. Extent of powers, unknown. Cause of powers, unknown. First usage of powers, approximately 5 years ago.” The woman’s voice was cold as ice as she read the facts off of the clipboard.

“Who are you?” The question slipped out of Xander’s mouth before he even realized it. The man took a threatening step towards him but was stopped in place by the woman sticking her arm out in front of him. 

“It’s alright number three, he will soon learn.” She said, not looking up from the clipboard. The man, number three, stepped back into his original spot, clasping his hands behind his back. The woman flipped through another few pages on the clipboard before turning her gaze to Xander. Her eyes were as icy as her voice, and Xander felt like they were piercing his very soul. 

“You may call me Mrs. Powell, and this is number three.” She gestures to the man off to her side. “You were brought here so we can find the full extent of your powers and how we can best control them and you.”

“You… you can’t keep me here. I haven’t done anything wrong. I know my rights-!” This couldn’t be happening to him. This is the type of thing that happens in stories, not in real life.

“You have no rights. Not anymore. Alexander Lee doesn’t exist anymore, in fact, he never did. You are government property, and we can do whatever we want to you.” Mrs. Powell states as a matter of fact and Xander’s mouth snapped shut. “It doesn’t have to be a bad thing. Number three here was in your place a few years ago, and he proved himself to us. Now he helps us with the others.”

“If I’m seven, and he’s three… what happened to the other five people?” Xander had a sinking feeling that he already knew the answer, but he hoped he was wrong. 

“The tests that we run are quite… trying. They couldn’t handle the strain, some physically, some mentally. That is why you are now here.” 

Oh god, Xander was going to die here. 

When he doesn’t respond, Mrs. Powell hands her clipboard to the man she calls number three. 

“I understand that this can be a lot to take in number seven, so I will give you the rest of the day to wrap your head around your new situation. In the morning, we will begin with some basic testing.” 

The two of them swiftly left the room, the sound of the door shutting sounded as loud as a gunshot to Xander. After waiting a moment or two to see if they were coming back, Xander lays on his side, curling into as tight of a ball as he possibly could and lets the tears he’s been holding in flow free. 

“Webby-” a sob forced its way out, bubbling up from his chest and clawing its way up and out of his throat. “Webby, how are we going to get out of this?”

The spider whispered soft reassurances to the frightened boy until he cried himself to an uneasy sleep. The bright lights never dimmed. 

~~~~~

Xander was woken up the next day by a loud alarm blaring. He sat up quickly, eyes burning against the lights. His heart was pounding heavily and it took a brain longer than he was happy with for him to remember where he is, and more importantly, what happened. 

The door on the wall opened and Xander’s eyes snap over to it. Mr. Powell confidently walked in the room, wearing an outfit almost identical to the previous day. 

“Oh good, you’re awake.” She said as if she can’t hear the loud alarm going off. Number three walked in, coming to a stop behind her. He was carrying a tray with what looked like a bowl of oatmeal and a bottle of water. Xander’s stomach growls at the sight of the food, as if seeing it reminded his body that he hadn’t eaten in twenty-four hours or more.

“You have five minutes to eat. After that, we will begin our first day of testing.” Number three made no move to bring the tray over to Xander. Mrs. Powell raised an eyebrow and gave Xander a pointed look.

“Well? What are you waiting for? Come get it.” His eyes darted back and forth between the two of them for a moment before he shakily stood up. He moved slowly, looking for any sign of a trap, or for one of them to lash out at him, but nothing happened. Xander took hold of the tray and quickly returned to the other side of the room. 

Before Xander was able to take a bite of the oatmeal, Mrs. Powell cleared her throat loudly, and Xander’s eyes snapped over to her. 

“Well?” She was clearly expecting something, but Xander didn’t know what. He looked at her blankly, causing her to roll her eyes. “When I give you something, I expect a ‘Thank You’. After all, I don’t have to be so generous.” 

Xander looks down and swallows heavily. He can hear the underlying threat in her words and doesn’t want to make this woman angry. 

“Thank you.” His voice was quiet that he could barely hear himself, but it seemed to appease her. She gave him a cold, almost shark-like smile and nodded her head once. 

“You’re welcome. Now eat up. You have four and a half minutes left. Number three will bring you to the testing room, and I will meet you there.” Without any further ado, she turned and left the room, number three sliding over so that he was standing in the middle of the doorway. It was clear that the other man was trying to silently tell Xander not to make an escape attempt, not that Xander was planning on it.

Xander quickly ate the oatmeal, forcing down the lumpy, flavorless food with a small grimace on his face. Once it was all gone, he washed it down with half the bottle of water, feeling number three’s gaze on him the entire time. He slowly rose to his feet, silently asking Webby what was going to happen. Still, she remained silent, which did nothing but make Xander’s stomach roll. 

He slowly walked across the room to where number three was, leaving the tray on the ground next to his cot. As soon as he was close enough, number three’s hand shot out, and he roughly grabbed Xander’s arm. His grip was tight, almost as if he thought Xander was going to try to run. Xander bit back a wince because he could tell that there would be finger-shaped bruises dotting his arm. 

Number three roughly pulled Xander down the hall. Xander hadn’t been expecting this, so he stumbled a little before scrambling to get his feet under him. They quickly move through the twisting hallways for a few minutes, and it dawns on Xander just how big this… compound must truly be. 

Xander is shoved into a large white room, and he barely managed to stay on his feet. The room is bare except for a pair of human-shaped targets at the far end of the room and a large mirror on the left wall. He can’t be sure without confirmation, but Xander is almost certain that it’s a one-way mirror. 

He hears the heavy metal door close behind him, and he turns around, seeing number three standing right inside the doorway with his arms crossed firmly over his chest. 

“I hope you’re ready to show off a bit number seven.” Mrs. Powell’s voice clearly comes from a speaker and draws Xander’s attention to the mirror. “Now, why don’t you give us a little demonstration of your powers? We need to know what we’re working with.”

“No.” Xander’s surprised at how forceful his voice sounds. He can hear number three move behind him, but Xander keeps his gaze on the mirror. He rolls his shoulders back and tilts his chin up. Xander isn’t about to just go along with what these people want.

“No? Are you sure about that?” Mrs. Powell’s voice was sickeningly sweet, and Xander could tell that there is a threat hidden underneath. Still, Xander didn’t back down. His gaze sharpened into a glare, and he clenched his jaw. “Very well, number three.”

Before Xander has a chance to turn to face the other man, a fist connected to the back of his head. Pain exploded from the point of contact, and he stumbled forward slightly. He quickly turned around, his head pounding, and he saw number three’s fist pulled back to strike him again. 

Number three swung his fist and Xander just barely managed to dodge out of the way. He felt a breeze past by his cheek as the fist missed him by less than an inch. He quickly scrambled backward, trying to get as much distance between number three and himself as possible. Number three stands up straight, and then before Xander knew what happened, he was gone. 

Xander blinked his eyes a few times, convinced his eyes were playing tricks on him. The next thing he knew, a foot was connecting hard to the back of his knee, and he fell to the ground. He was so surprised that he didn’t have the chance to throw his hands out in front of him, so his cheek slams into the ground. 

Xander went to push himself up, but number three placed his booted foot on the side of his face and pushed down, grinding Xander’s face into the concrete floor. Xander struggled for a moment, but the more he struggled, the more number three pressed his foot down.

Xander stopped struggling, fearing that if he didn’t, number three would crush his skull, and Xander very much did not want to die like this. Number three didn’t press down any harder, but he also didn’t pull back at all. Xander is sure that they could have stayed there forever if it wasn’t for Mrs. Powell’s voice cut in.

“That’s enough, number three.” She sounded bored, as if the possibility of someone’s skull being crushed was something she experienced every day. As far as Xander knows, it might be. The boot was removed all at once, but Xander didn’t move. He stayed on the ground, fighting back the tears of pure fear that were building in his eyes. He refused to break down, not until he was back in his… room. 

“Get him up.” She snapped, and he was unceremoniously pulled to his feet. “Now, let’s try that again, shall we? Show us how your powers work.” 

Xander didn’t refuse that time. He didn’t dare. Instead, he just closed his eyes, taking several deep breaths in an attempt to bring his breathing back to something somewhat normal. Webby said something to him, but whatever it was drowned out by the sound of blood rushing in Xander’s ears. 

He had never actually used his powers at will. They always popped up when he least expected or wanted them. Xander didn’t want to know what would happen if he couldn’t get them to listen to him now. With his eyes still clenched shut, he slowly raised a shaking hand and thought of the only thing he could think of. 

One second there was nothing in his hand, the next, he felt a light weight drop into his hand. His eyes snapped open, and sitting there was a shiny green apple, just as Xander had pictured it in his head. He can’t hold back the wet noise that claws its way up from his throat. It’s a strange mix of a laugh and a sob.

“Now make it disappear.” Mrs. Powell’s voice cuts through Xander’s rush of relief. He had almost forgotten where he was for half a second. 

Almost.

He closes his eyes once again, and after concentrating for a short moment, the weight of the apple is gone. 

“Well done, Alexander.” Webby whispered softly to him, and he won’t lie, that did ease his tension he felt sitting in his shoulders just a little. 

“Is there anything else your powers can do?” Xander opens his mouth to answer, but she cuts him off before he can utter even a syllable. “Keep in mind, if you lie to us, we will find out. And when we do… you’re not going to like the consequences.” 

Xander snaps his mouth shut and fidgets for a moment. 

“I uh… I tend to be able to tell when people are lying. And I seem to usually know when big things are going to happen a bit before they actually do.” Xander doesn’t tell her about Webby. Webby’s not really an ability or anything, so it’s not exactly a lie. 

“Interesting. Did you know that this was going to happen?”

“No.”

“No what?” She asks pointedly, but Xander has no clue what she’s getting at. He’s sure that the confusion is clear on his face because he heard Mrs. Powell sigh. It was the type of sigh that a teacher might let out when one of their students isn’t quite grasping a very simple topic. 

“Number seven, I have not said anything up until this point because I understand that it might be difficult for you to understand your new position in the world, but I will not put up with this disrespect any longer. When you speak to me, you will call me ma’am. So I will give you another chance. No what?” Her voice was dangerous at the end.

“No ma’am.” 

“Very good. Now, we will continue with the testing. Can you summon a lighter?” The tests went on like that for a few hours. Mrs. Powell would tell Xander to summon different things, and then tell him to make them vanish. Sometimes she would ask him to summon several different things at once. 

Xander had no problem keeping things there once he summoned them. It seemed like once the item was there, it was there. He had to extend a small amount of energy to summon things, but making them disappear? That was significantly more difficult. 

By the end of that day’s testing, Xander felt exhausted. His limbs were shaking slightly from the effort it took for him to remain upright, sweat was pouring from his forehead, and he had to all but pry his eyelids open whenever they slipped shut. 

“Make it disappear.” Mrs. Powell sounded very irritated, and that made Xander very nervous. Though try as he might, he couldn’t get the simple ceramic figurine of a spider to disappear. He tried and tried and tried. He could feel Mrs. Powell get more and more irritated and number three get tenser and tenser as if he was getting ready to fight. 

“I- I can’t.” He grits his teeth.

“Don’t tell me that you can’t. You’ve done it numerous times Today. Now do it!”

Xander’s attempts came to an end when the figurine slipped from his fingers and fell to the ground, shattering on impact. The world seemed to freeze when it happened, and Xander’s heart was beating a mile a minute.

“Oh number seven, I am very disappointed in you. Take him back to his cell and give him only half a potion tonight. Perhaps that will teach him to do better tomorrow.” 

Number three grabbed his arm once again and pulled him out of the room. Xander collapsed halfway back to his room. No, not room. Cell. He might as well call it what it is. 

Xander collapsed halfway back to his cell, and number three dragged him the rest of the way. He was dumped unceremoniously onto the cot on the floor. Xander half noticed that the try from the morning was gone. The second Xander was out of his arms, number three had a tray in his hands. On it was another bowl of oatmeal, except this one looked noticeably smaller than the last one and a half a water bottle. For all Xander knew, it was the same bottle of water that Xander he drank from earlier that day. 

Number three dropped the tray on the ground, a small amount of the oatmeal flying out of the bowl and landing on the floor. Xander looks up at him, and number three gives him a pointed look. 

“Eat.” His voice was deep and rough, more than likely due to the evident lack of speaking this man did. Xander ate the food in a half-asleep daze. Once the last drop of water was drained from the bottle, it disappeared from his hand. He looked down at the place on the floor where the tray had been a moment before. It, too was gone. Xander looks up when he hears the sound of number three moving towards the door. 

“Wait!” Xander is surprised when the man does, stopping right before the door. “What’s your name?”

“Number three.” And with that, he left the room, the door closing firmly behind him. Xander pushed himself up to his feet and staggered over to the quasi bathroom and turned the sink on. He stuck his hand under the running water and tilted his head down. He splashed some cold water on the back of his neck. He leaned against the sink, letting the water cool him down. 

Once he felt slightly cooler, he turned the sink off and slowly made his way back to the cot a short way away. He sat down heavily, a groan pushing it’s way past his lips as he did so. He rested his back against the wall, one leg coming up to his chest, and the other stretched out in front of him. 

Xander brought a hand to his cheek, lightly wincing as he felt the forming bruise from where number three’s boot dug into his face earlier that day. 

“Webby? Are you there?” He spoke softly, expecting no response. 

“I’m always here, Alexander.” The kind voice of his life long imaginary floats in his ear, and Xander smiled softly. 

“Do you know what’s going on here?” 

“I do.” 

Xander rolled his eyes, frustrated by the spider’s nonanswer. 

“Do you want to share? Or at least tell me why I’m here?” Webby didn’t respond, and Xander had to fight back the urge to punch the wall. The two of them sit in silence for a moment.

“Webby… why didn’t you warn me about this? You’ve always given me a heads up on major things, but with this? Nothing.”

“Alexander, I couldn’t warn you. You have a very important future. You have somewhere you need to get to. Unfortunately, this is the only way to make sure you get there. I am so sorry. I wish I could protect you from everything that’s going to happen, but I can promise you that you will make it through this. It’s all going to be worth it in the end. Just have to hold on to that thought.” 

Xander didn’t know what to say. What can you say when your life-long imaginary friend tells you that she knew that you were going to kidnaped and experimented on, but she couldn’t tell you, couldn’t do anything to stop it, because your future is just too important. 

He realized with a start that this was the most Webby has spoken to him his whole life. To be fair, this is the most he’s ever spoken to Webby. He can feel his eyes start to shut, but he forces them to stay open. 

“Get some sleep, Alexander. You’re going to need all of your strength.” Xander could feel a wave of calming energy wash over him as he curled up on his side, letting his eyes shut. He didn’t even have time to wonder if the calming feeling was Webbys doing as he’s embraced by the loving arms of sleep.

~~~~ 

The next month or so went much the same. Xander was woken up by a loud alarm, was given a portion of lumpy, tasteless oatmeal and a bottle of water. He was then led to the same room every day where Mrs. Powell had Xander make things appear and disappear until he physically couldn’t do it anymore. He’s was taken back to his room, given another portion of the oatmeal and water. Then he spoke to Webby until he couldn’t stay awake any longer. He’s been getting closer to the spider then he has ever been his entire life, and it’s a strange yet pleasant feeling. 

Every day he was able to go a bit longer, and Mrs. Powell seemed pleased. Every third day he was taken to a large locker room where he could take a shower, and when he’s done, there was a clean set of the all-white outfit they had him dressed in.

Xander wouldn’t say that he was getting comfortable here, but he certainly was getting used to the routine.

Until one day, the routine changed. 

“Before we begin the tests today, I have a question for you number seven.” Mrs. Powell’s voice sounded pleasant, and Xander took that as a bad sign. He didn’t answer her, just turning his attention to the mirror. 

“Who is Webby?” Xander almost couldn’t believe what his ears heard. How could she possibly know about Webby? This was impossible.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” The lie slipped past his lips before he could stop it, not that he’s sure he would have. 

“Oh number seven, I thought I told you what would happen if you lied to me.” Xander heard his own voice come over the speakers. He heard himself talking to Webby. As the recordings played, he felt number three grab his dominant arm, his right arm, and twist it behind his back painfully.

“She- she’s just an imaginary friend!” He cried out, trying to pull his arm out of number threes crushing grasp. 

“Strike two.” Mrs. Powell’s voice cuts over top of the audio recordings that continued to play. His arm was a bit twisted more, and Xander felt like it was seconds away from snapping in two. 

“I don’t know! I really don’t! Please!” 

“Strike three.” As if he had been waiting for that as his cue, number three twists Xander’s arm even further, and he heard the sickening snap moments before the pain floods through his arm. The hand that was holding his arm let go, only to grasp Xander’s hair moments later. 

Number three dragged Xander across the room by his hair, ignoring the younger man’s weak struggles and cries. They stopped in front of the mirror, and number three pulled Xander’s head back and slammed it into the mirror once, twice, a third time. The mirror was fractured, but not completely shattered.

Number three let go of Xander, who fell to the ground, letting out a cry as he fell on top of his broken arm. He rolled over slightly, needing to get the weight off of his arm, only to be met with a steel-toed boot to his ribs. He gasped and tried his hardest to curl in on himself, laying there on the ground for who knows how long. He was hit with blow after blow, some hitting his chest, some hitting his legs, and a few hitting him in the broken arm. 

By the time number three stopped, Xander was barely hanging onto consciousness, and tears were streaming down his face. 

“Get up.” Mrs. Powell growls. Xander didn’t even try to move. Instead, he curled in tighter on himself. 

“If you don’t get up this instant number three is going to drag you back to your cell by your broken arm.” That threat made Xander’s blood run cold, and he somehow managed to shakily push himself to his feet. Mrs. Powell forcefully grabbed his chin and made him look in her eyes. 

“Don’t  _ ever  _ lie to me again.” Xander’s breathing was heavy and he glanced down and to the right slightly. This was apparently the wrong thing to do. Her other hand shot out and grabbed his broken arm, squeezing tightly, nails drawing blood. 

This pain was just a bit too much for Xander to handle. He felt something powerful rise up inside him for a moment before it suddenly exploded out of him. Mrs. Powell and number three went flying across the room, but Xander remained where he was. 

The second number three was on his feet he was by Mrs. Powell’s side, gently pulling her to her feet. He looked over at Xander and lunged at him, but was stopped by Mrs. Powell. 

“Interesting.” She said quietly, almost to herself. She’s silent for a moment before she looks towards number three. “Take him back to his cell, quickly. We have work to do number three.”

Xander was led back to his cell in a daze. The door slammed shut behind him, and Xander sat down on the cot. He was in shock. He had to be. Otherwise, he would be in incredible pain.

“Alexander, you need to rest.” Webby said softly, but Xander doesn’t react at all. 

“Alexander-”

“I can’t do this, Webby.” Xander sobbed.

“Yes, you can Alexander.”

“No, no I can’t. I’m going to die here. I’m going to die here!” He began to hyperventilate, and he felt the room begin to spin. Webby pushed wave after wave of calmness into Xander’s brain, not being able to offer more comfort than that.

It took a few minutes for it to calm him down, but once he did, he was hit with exhaustion. 

“Go to sleep, Alexander, everything will be better in the morning.” Webby must have been doing something to help him block the pain and fall asleep, because he was asleep thirty seconds later, still sitting up, back pressed against the wall. 

~~~

Xander woke up slowly the next day, no alarm was blaring. The memories of the day before came rushing back to him. He tensed, mentally preparing himself for the pain he knows is going to be coming any moment.

He waits. And waits. And waits. But the pain never comes. 

Xander slowly opened his eyes, the light not making his head explode in pain as he was expecting. He looked down and slowly stretched his right arm out, moving it gingerly, rolling his wrist and stretching his fingers. Other than a small twinge shooting up his arm, there was no pain. He was sure that his arm had been broken the day before, but now there was no evidence of it. 

Nothing hurt, not his arm, not his chest, not even legs or his head. It was as if the day before had never happened. Xander had always been a quick healer, but this was ridiculous. The alarm that usually startled Xander into consciousness began blaring a few moments later, and he sat up straight. His eyes became glued to the door. 

Mrs. Powell strode in as confidently as ever, her eyes looking at her ever-present clipboard.

“Good morning number seven. If you cooperate Today, perhaps we will be able to do something about that arm of your-” She stopped suddenly, her eyebrows raised slightly in shock as she took in the state Xander was in. 

“Healing abilities, I was not expecting that.” She wrote something down on the clipboard before gesturing for Xander to get his tray of oatmeal from number three, who was glaring at Xander a bit harder than usual. 

Xander ate quickly, and he tried his hardest to ignore the feeling of Mrs. Powell’s eyes burning into the side of his head. He was barely done with the oatmeal when the tray disappeared from in front of him. ]

Despite his urge to curl into a ball and hide away from the world, he followed them to the testing room.

There is no sign of what had happened the day before. The mirror, that Xander was sure had been fractured, was completely fine. Someone must have replaced it over the night. Xander almost could have been convinced that this was a second room, identical to the first, if it wasn’t for the small bloodstain in front of the mirror where Xander was sure that he laid on the ground bleeding. 

Xander is also positive that they had left the stain there on purpose, as a reminder and silent threat. 

Instead of going to her usual place on the other side of the double mirror, Mrs. Powell sat herself down in the corner of the room. 

“Today, we want to explore a new power that we saw evidence of yesterday. You attacked us with a wave of energy, so theoretically speaking, you should be able to do that on command and aim it at a specific target.” 

“I’ve never done that before.” Xander said hesitantly before quickly adding on a “Ma’am” at the end. 

“Well I suggest that you try to figure it out quickly. Otherwise, we can experiment with your healing ability.” Number three cracked his knuckles from his spot next to her. Xander looked away from them, forcing himself to look at the human-shaped targets at the far end of the room. He walked to the center of the room and took a deep breath, rolling his shoulders back.

Xander closed his eyes and tried to feel around inside of himself for… something. He has no idea what it is that he’s trying to do. Hell, he could barely even remember what happened after getting kicked in the head one to many times.

“Are you even trying number seven?” Mrs. Powell goaded him, and he could hear footsteps slowly, menacingly moving towards him. A spike of fear shot through him and he clenched his eyes shut even tighter, doubling his efforts to figure out this newfound ability. The footsteps grew closer and closer, making Xander grow more and more frightened. 

The footsteps stop, and a hand shoots out and tightly gripped the back of Xander’s neck. He is afraid, more afraid than he had been his entire time he was here, if that was even possible. Suddenly he feels different somehow. He throws a hand out in front of him, and what can only be described as a wave of energy, shoots out from it. The wave travels across the room and slams into one of the targets, causing it to fly into the wall directly behind it. 

“So this power seems to be linked to your emotions, specifically fear.” Mrs. Powell seemed like she was confirming something. The hand disappeared from the back of Xander’s neck, but he didn’t relax at all. 

“Logic then dictates that until you are able to control it and are able to summon the energy on will, we should keep you in a constant state of fear.” 

And she managed to do just that for the rest of the day. Any time he would start to relax even slightly, all it would take is a single threat from her or a small touch from number three, and his fear would skyrocket. 

By the time Mrs. Powell decided enough was enough for the day, one of the targets was utterly destroyed, and another was looking pretty beat up. He feels just as drained as he did the first day, but manages to stay on his feet on the way back to his cell and choke down the oatmeal. Not a single word passed between Xander and number three. 

The second the door was closed, Xander was stuck with an idea. Maybe, just maybe, he would be able to use this newfound ability of his to his advantage. He pushed himself to his feet and closed his eyes, reaching down deep to find the well of energy that he had been tapping into all day. He sighed angrily when he couldn’t find it.

“Webby, am I doing this right?” Xander figured that if anyone would be able to help him with this, it would be Webby. 

“Kind of.” The spider said. Xander waited for her to expand, but she didn’t. He sighed and threw his up in the air. 

“Do you maybe want to explain?” Xander was extremely frustrated, as anyone would be in his situation. Webby was the only one on his side, but sometimes she was just so vague, and it irritated him. 


End file.
